The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly, to an electrical contact for an electrical connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical contact having a compliant section for insertion into a PC board.
Modern electronic systems continue to demand higher density, higher speed and more cost-effective packaging in interconnection solutions. For example, Winchester Electronics markets a series of connectors called MetCon-2(copyright) 2mm hard metric connector systems. These types of connectors have multiple contacts sometimes arranged in 5xc3x975 matrices which are tightly spaced together. These types of connectors are described in greater detail in a catalog entitled xe2x80x9cWinchester MetCon-2(copyright) 2 mm Hard Metric Connectorxe2x80x9d, incorporated herein by reference.
As depicted in FIG. 1A a prior art contact 10 is depicted. The contact 10 includes a primary portion 12 which is inserted into one-half of an electrical connector (see FIG. 3). The primary portion 12 is retained within the electrical connector in a conventional manner and a secondary portion 14 extends outwardly beyond the electrical connector for insertion into corresponding holes in a PC board. The secondary portion 14 includes a compliant portion 16 and an elongated pin portion 18. The compliant portion 16 has opposed rounded outer surfaces 20 and a cat""s eye shaped central opening 22. The difficulty with the prior art compliant portion 16 is illustrated in FIG. 1B.
In FIG. 1B, the compliant section 16 is inserted into a plated through hole 28 illustrated in FIG. 2. When each contact 10 is inserted into a through hole 28, there is a tendency for some or all of the elongated sections 14 to tip at an angle as illustrated in FIG. 1B. Because of the length of each of the compliant sections and because of the tight spacing between these contacts, it is very important that the secondary side of the contacts remain straight without tipping in order to be inserted into a mating connector. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that these contacts are closely spaced and, for example, a matrix of 5xc3x975 array, there is a high likelihood of stubbing one or more of the contacts when an electrical connector is mated to the elongated sections 14. When an elongated section 14 is stubbed, the pin 14 is crushed and of course no signal can be carried by the pin.
The cause of the tipping is due to the compliant section 20. If the cat""s eye opening 22 is slightly off center due to manufacturing tolerances by as little as 0.005 inches, then unequal forces are created on the compliant section 22 as illustrated in FIG. 1B when the each contact is pressed into a through hole 28. When the compliant section 22 is inserted into the hole 28, the purpose of the compliant section 22 is to maintain a holding force. Referring to FIG. 1B, there are two curved beam sections 24, 26 on opposing sides of compliant section 22. If one of the two beams is slightly thinner than the other beam then it is likely that tipping will occur.
Accordingly, a need exists for a compliant section of a contact which can be inserted into a round hole which will stay straight and not tip within a wide zone of manufacturing tolerances.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electrical contact having a compliant section which will not tip significantly when inserted into a hole in a PC board within a wide range of manufacturing tolerances.
The present invention is directed to an electrical contact having a compliant section. The electrical contact has a primary section retained within an electrical contact. The electrical contact has a secondary section that includes an elongated section and a compliant section. The compliant section is formed such that when the compliant section is inserted into a hole in a PC board, the compliant section and the elongated section remain straight within a manufacturable range of manufacturing tolerances.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a contact for insertion into a hole in a PC board. The contact has a contact body including an engagement portion for engagement with an electrical connector body. The contact body has an elongated section and a compliant section connecting the engagement portion and the elongated section. The compliant section has a plurality of holes formed therethrough thereby forming at least one bridge section. Each bridge section is located between two adjacent ones of the holes.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention is achieved by a contact for insertion into a hole in a PC board. The contact body includes an engagement portion for engagement with an electrical connector body. The contact body has an elongated section and a compliant section connecting the engagement portion and the elongated section. The compliant section has a plurality of holes formed therethrough thereby forming at least one bridge section. Each bridge section is located between two adjacent ones of the holes. The plurality of holes comprises three holes joined coaxially along a centerline of the contact body. The compliant section has opposed rounded surfaces symmetric about a center one of the three hole, wherein the rounded outer surfaces are convex relative to the plurality of holes.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an electrical connector having a plurality of contacts each for insertion into a corresponding hole in a PC board. The contact includes a connector body and a plurality of contacts. The connector body has a plurality of locations for receiving a corresponding contact. Each contact includes a contact body including an engagement portion for engagement with an electrical connector body. The contact body has an elongated section and a compliant section connecting the engagement portion and the elongated section. The compliant section has a plurality of holes formed therethrough thereby forming at least one bridge section. Each bridge section is located between two adjacent ones of the holes.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description thereof are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.